Rodrigo Villalobos Vazquez de la Parra

Alumni and Former Staff

Ph.D. Student

Social Profile:

Research Interests

​His passion for the oceans motivated him to complete his bachelor thesis in deep sea ecology. Rodrigo joined the Reef Ecology Lab to pursue his Master’s degree in August 2014. His decision was influenced by his excitement and curiosity over unravelling the mysteries of the understudied environment of the Red Sea.

Selected Publications

  • The role of seagrass vegetation and local environmental conditions in shaping benthic bacterial and macroinvertebra... 
    Z. Alsaffar, J. K. Pearman, J. Cúrdia, J. Ellis, M. Ll. Calleja, P. Ruiz-Compean, F. Roth,...
    Scientific Reports 10, 13550, (2020)
  • Beyond the visual: using metabarcoding to characterize the hidden reef cryptobiome 
    S. Carvalho, E. Aylagas, R. Villalobos, Y. Kattan, M. Berumen and J.K. Pearman
    Proc. R. Soc. B 286: 20182697, (2019)
  • Cross-shelf investigation of coral reef cryptic benthic organisms reveals diversity patterns of the hidden majority 
    J.K. Pearman, M. Leray, R. Villalobos, R.J. Machida, M.L. Berumen, N. Knowlton, S. Carvalh...
    Scientific Reports, Volume, 8, article number: 8090, (2018)

Education

  • ​​Bachelor, Biology, UNAM, Mexico city, 2014

Professional Profile

  • ​​April-June, 2014: Environmental Impact Assessment Consultant, QVGA, Mexico city
  • January-July 2013: Social Service in the Climate Change Direction, Ministry of Environment (SEMARNAT), Mexico city​

KAUST Affiliations

  • ​Red Sea Research Center(RSRC)

Research Interests Keywords

​​Community ecology Genetic diversity in coral reefs Benthic Ecology